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Perhaps the most surprising Blackmagic Design announcement of IBC 2014 is that eyeon software is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Blackmagic Design – they’ve even moved Fusion 7 over to the Blackmagic stand. But they’ve also released Resolve 11.1, PL versions of their cameras, new routers, a new Decklink card, five new converters and more…

Blackmagic Design acquire eyeon, showcase Fusion 7

“Fusion 7 is one of Hollywood’s leading visual effects compositing and motion graphics tools and has been used on thousands of feature film and television projects. Most recently, Fusion 7 has been used on feature films like Maleficent, Edge of Tomorrow, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Captain America, Gravity and more,” the official press release reminds us.

“Fusion 7 combines the best in motion graphics and high end visual effects compositing into a single application. In addition to its advanced compositing tools, Fusion 7 also includes comprehensive paint, rotoscope, keying, layering and titling tools, along with an amazing particle generator system. It can import geometry from other applications as well as create its own elements, like text and particles, from scratch. Elements can be composited together and quickly output using Fusion’s GPU accelerated render engine. Multiple renders can be combined in one project to render different aspects of the same scene. Fusion 7 goes beyond just compositing layers and has a full set of creation tools for building objects and scene elements in a 3D system that can handle millions of polygons with complex shading.”

“We’re really excited about the acquisition of eyeon,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “Fusion compositing, 3D and motion graphics software has been used on some of Hollywood’s biggest visual effects blockbusters. When used together with DaVinci Resolve for editing and grading, Fusion also gives customers the world’s most advanced tools for 3D compositing, visual effects, motion graphics design and more!”

“Blackmagic Design is the most progressive company in professional post production today,” said Steve Roberts, CEO and founder of eyeon. “With their focus on developing the best solutions and a global network of offices, Blackmagic gives customers the products and services they deserve. The acquisition of eyeon will provide greater development and support of Fusion and Generation, where customers will now have more dynamic, comprehensive, and faster solutions for their creative needs.”

“Fusion 7’s great 3D improvements have added to our toolkit, giving us options that greatly expand our ability to quickly put together shots and make final adjustments without the need to go back into a 3D app for changes,” said David Stinnett, VFX Supervisor, Blur Studios, Thor: The Dark World and Amazing Spiderman 2. “Fusion 7 expands our ability to stay flexible for whatever the job demands.”

“The great thing about using Fusion for motion graphics is that you have an unlimited number of ways to create and design shots so you don’t have to leave the package to get the job done,” said Dunn Lewis, Motion Graphics and VFX artist. “Fusion can handle it all. With its full true 3D compositing environment, motion graphic tools, Spline editor for precise animation curves, Timeline for timing effects and Node based system for compositing, you can overcome any challenge.”

eyeon will continue to support its customers and expand its sales channels with the added strength of the Blackmagic Design organisation. eyeon will also continue developing solutions for the VFX and post-production industries, including its flagship application, Fusion.

Resolve 11.1 goes into public beta

Not to get predictable, but we’re obviously insanely excited about Resolve 11.1, which hits public beta with dozens of user-suggested improvements in place. The final version is due at the end of the month, but here’s what the press release has to say in the meantime:

Editing enhancements in the new DaVinci Resolve 11.1 are designed to help editors work even faster than before. Resolve 11.1 includes improved asymmetric trimming, a new Swap Edit command, the ability to trim gaps in the timeline, editable in/out points in the source viewer, graphical fade sliders for video opacity, action and title safe overlays, independent track heights, a full screen timeline option, the ability to add transitions to multiple clips at the same time, and more.

DaVinci Resolve 11.1 also features dramatically improved integration with Final Cut Pro X that allows colorists to spend more time grading and finishing projects, and less time recreating elements from editorial. There is improved support for Multicam clips, Synchronized clips, and mixed frame rate Compound clips. Speed changes with Bezier curves are now imported from Final Cut Pro X, along with settings for frame blending and optical flow retiming. In addition, Compound clips can be broken apart and renamed in the Resolve timeline.

Colorists get support for object tracking and stabilization of compound clips, second layer input support for OpenFX plugins, the ability to pick colors in the viewer for OFX plugins, and new group menu options to load, delete and rename groups. DaVinci Resolve 11.1 also includes support for visually lossless compressed DNG RAW clips, Panasonic Varicam vRAW and AVC-I, improved color decoding for Phantom CINE RAW files, new Phantom Cine Log gamma selection in the camera raw settings, VFX I/O LUTs for Gamma 2.2 and Gamma 2.4, and more. Linux customers also get OpenCL support for AMD GPUs.

DaVinci Resolve 11.1 adds new support for Dolby Vision image processing. Customers will be able to work with 40x more brightness than a conventional television, a vastly improved, fuller color palette, and up to 1,000 times more contrast to reveal depth and detail that makes images look astonishingly real.

“DaVinci Resolve 11 was a huge release for us and we have been surprised by the incredible rate of upgrades,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “It has been the fastest downloaded product update we have ever had. We’re committed to the community and are continuing to make Resolve even better. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and has encouraged us to work even harder to add as many customer feature requests as we can to the 11.1 update.”

With these two new PL mount models, Blackmagic Design customers can now choose from five separate variations of this small, tough design. With a combination of two different sensor types as well as three different lens mounts, customers can now simply select the features they need based on the work they do.

The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K PL gives you a high resolution Super 35mm size sensor with global shutter and a more creative depth of field. Customers get incredible Ultra HD images with 12 stops of dynamic range and a large sensor with minimal crop factor so they can capture amazing wide angle, feature film quality shots. When working in HD, customers can use the high resolution images to reframe and zoom into shots without any quality loss.

The Blackmagic Cinema Camera PL has a 2.5K sensor with a super wide 13 stops of dynamic range that delivers truly cinematic quality images. Both cameras have dramatically wider dynamic range than traditional video cameras that preserves more detail in the blacks and whites of an image. For example, customers can shoot indoors with the correct exposure and still get full detail through windows outside. Every detail captured by the cameras’ sensors is preserved in the RAW files and can be edited and grade natively using the included DaVinci Resolve software for the highest possible quality output!

MultiView 16

Also on Blackmagic’s slate is MultiView 16, the world’s first native Ultra HD multi viewer that allows customers to use the new large screen Ultra HD televisions and Ultra HD monitors for displaying images at twice the resolution of an HD multi view. With full frame re-sync in each input Blackmagic MultiView 16 supports the display of up to 16 mixed SD, HD and Ultra HD video sources all at the same time. MultiView 16 will be priced at only US$1,495.

Blackmagic MultiView 16 outputs both 1080p HD and native Ultra HD over SDI and HDMI monitors, making it possible to use professional broadcast monitors or the new massive Ultra HD consumer televisions for incredibly sharp, high resolution multi view monitoring that is twice the resolution of traditional HD multi viewers. Customers can choose layouts from 2×2 for 4 sources, 3×3 for 9 sources and 4×4 for 16 sources.

Blackmagic MultiView 16 includes sixteen multi rate 6G-SDI inputs with separate loop thru that are compatible with existing SD, HD and Ultra HD equipment. All 16 inputs feature automatic frame re-synchronization, so each view is like an independent video monitor, regardless of the input standard. That means customers can mix and match up to 16 different video standards all at the same time!

Blackmagic MultiView 16 is the perfect solution when there are lots of video feeds to monitor and limited space. Customers no longer have to connect multiple monitors, dozens of cables or run extra power. Simply plug in cameras, decks, switchers, routers and feeds into the SDI connections on Blackmagic MultiView 16 and they can see everything with amazing clarity and detail on a single Ultra HD display.

Because it works natively in Ultra HD, customers get four times the number of pixels in each view so the video looks sharper and clearer than ever before. Blackmagic MultiView 16 delivers an incredible 4 full resolution 1920 x 1080 HD video sources when running in 2×2 layout, or 16 half resolution 1080 HD videos sources at an amazing 960 x 540 resolution when running in 4×4 layout!

Blackmagic MultiView 16 is easy to use and includes an elegant machined metal front panel with dedicated buttons for quickly selecting any source. Video can be routed to any position on the grid at the push of a button or with the spin knob control, so it works just like a video router. MultiView 16 can also be controlled remotely over a network using the included Mac and Windows software, as well as from Videohub hardware control panels installed throughout a facility. There is also an SDK for custom broadcast integrations.

“Using MultiView 16 is like having 16 independent broadcast monitors on a single display,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “Facilities that don’t even care about working in Ultra HD can still get a huge benefit as when using an Ultra HD monitor connected to it, they get twice the resolution of regular 1080 HD inputs for twice the image clarity. That’s really critical when monitoring camera feeds where you want to check focus. Being able to view up to 16 mixed format sources on a single screen all at the same time, in such amazing quality and with incredible detail is mind blowing!”

MultiView 16 will be available in November 2014 for US$1,495 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.

Smartview 4K

SmartView 4K is a professional Ultra HD broadcast monitor with a native resolution of 3840 x 2160, an amazingly bright LCD screen with a wide viewing angle and advanced broadcast features such as 3D LUTs, adjustable on screen markers, H/V delay, blue only and more. SmartView 4K features multi rate 12G-SDI inputs that automatically switch between SD, HD and Ultra HD formats up to 2160p60. With 12G-SDI, SmartView 4K is an incredibly future proof design with unprecedented full resolution Ultra HD high frame rate support all built into the attractive thin rack mount design.

When monitoring SD, 720 HD or 1080 HD SDI sources, the built in Teranex processor uses advanced patented and proprietary PixelMotion™ algorithms to automatically de-interlace and scale video to the native Ultra HD resolution of the LCD. This means customers get visually transparent, artifact free scaling for the best quality possible and a fluid smooth viewing experience.

The 6 rack unit size machined metal design of SmartView 4K features a built in control panel for access to advanced broadcast features such as built in 3D LUTs, H/V delay, blue only for checking hue and image noise and customizable frame markers. The machined metal design also has a metal internal chassis allowing VESA mounting points on the rear so the monitor can be rack mounted, or mounted on articulated arms similar to computer monitors. This allows installation in news rooms, walls and other non rack mount locations.

With the advent of SDI video in the mid 1990’s some features on analog broadcast monitors were lost. One of these feature was the H/V delay that allowed broadcast engineers to view data and signals in the horizontal and vertical blanking. With SmartView 4K, customers get these features retuned and with the H/V delay feature, customers can shift the image to monitor data and information in the SDI blanking, such as embedded audio data, subtitles, VITC and more.

Blackmagic SmartView 4K includes both universal AC power as well as 12V DC power inputs so it can be used with a battery or plugged into standard AC mains power, making it the perfect professional monitor for any broadcast facility, mobile broadcast truck, or even on location and in fly away kits. There is also a SMPTE compatible optical fiber SDI socket for allowing customers to optionally add an optical fiber SDI module if they want to run optical fiber direct to their monitor without converters. Optional optical fiber is important with the high speeds of 12G-SDI where customers might feel more comfortable about the reliability of optical fiber.

Blackmagic SmartView 4K can be controlled from the front panel or remotely via rear mounted Ethernet connection with loop output using the included Mac and Windows software. It also supports VESA mounting so customers can install it on articulated monitor arms, on walls or in equipment racks. When used on set, the dual 3D LUTs can be selected on and off with the push of a button, and the DC power input allows a V-Lock battery pack to be mounted on the rear of the monitor and plugged into the DC input for long running time where no AC power is available.

Blackmagic Design today announced Smart Videohub 40 x 40, the newest model in its family of mixed format routers with Blackmagic’s unique visual routing user interface and 6G-SDI technology allowing SD, HD and Ultra HD routing all on the same router at the same time. Smart Videohub 40 x 40 will be priced at US$2,995 and available in October.

The Smart Videohub family of professional SDI video routers are the world’s first Ultra HD mixed format routers to include built in large 5 inch high resolution video monitoring and spin knob router control. The Smart Videohub 40 x 40 includes 6G-SDI technology so customers can simultaneously connect and route any combination of SD, HD and Ultra HD video all on the same router at the same time. Even if a customer has 40 different television formats connected to the router inputs, Smart Videohub 40 x 40 would route any of them to any combination of the outputs, all simultaneously.

Smart Videohub 40 x 40 also includes an elegant machined metal front panel with full router control as well as built in LCD monitoring. Using the front panel, customers can perform direct entry of router cross points using buttons, or they can use the spin knob control.
Blackmagic Design’s unique, revolutionary Visual Routing combines the spin knob and button entry with easy to read custom router labels over live video from the inputs onto the LCD. When any input or output is selected, the video is displayed live on the LCD. This allows customers to see their router connections as video on the LCD as they scroll the knob to select routing. This unique feature means customers can route video simply by looking at it!

Smart Videohub 40 x 40 features advanced 6G-SDI connections that allow high resolution Ultra HD video using a single SDI connection, while retaining full compatibility with all SD and HD-SDI equipment. This means customers get industrial strength, stable and reliable SDI video connections with the flexibility to work in any television format they like. Even if customers are not running in Ultra HD now, they can still take advantage of the innovative design and lower cost of Smart Videohub 40 x 40 while working in regular SD or HD today, knowing that they are ready for Ultra HD the moment they need it!

Blackmagic Smart Videohub 40 x 40 includes full front panel controls, dual built in power supplies for redundant power and increased reliability, external ethernet control, RS422, and support for tri-sync and black burst reference. The router can also be controlled remotely via Ethernet using Blackmagic Design router control software for Mac OS X and Windows, or with the Blackmagic Smart Control and Master Control hardware router control panels.

“Our family of Smart Videohub 12 x12 and 20 x 20 models of routers have been incredibly popular in post houses and smaller broadcast facilities,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “The new Smart Videohub 40 x 40 brings all of the great features of the incredible Videohub family, plus adds redundant power and a much larger bright high resolution screen is possible because of its larger 2 rack unit design! That means, features such as visual routing and labels are so much larger and clearer, and you can see where your routing is from clear across the room!”

Smart Videohub 40 x 40 Key Features
– Features 40 multi rate 6G-SDI inputs and 40 multi rate 6G-SDI outputs that support auto switching of SD, HD and Ultra HD formats.
– Built in control panel with dedicated source buttons allows direct entry with spin knob control.
– Built in LCD monitor allows large labels or for display of live video for visual routing.
– Built in crosspoint buttons on front panel allows direct selection of crosspoint.
– Take and clear buttons allow conformation of selected crosspoint before going live.
– Includes Ethernet port for external router control plus RS422 port for controlling router via serial link.
– Built in menus available from the front panel LCD for selecting Ethernet IP settings for remote control.
– Supports Blackmagic Design router control software for Mac OS X and Windows.
– Supports Blackmagic Smart Control and Master Control hardware router control panels.
– Dual built in power supply’s for redundant power operates from 110V to 240V.
– Compact 2 rack unit design, ideal for large systems as well as OB van use.

Blackmagic Design today announced DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G, a new Dual Link 12G-SDI capture and playback card that includes an extremely fast 8 lane PCI Express Generation 2 connection to the computer allowing extremely high performance such as dual stream video capture and playback at resolutions up to 2160p60. Dual stream capture and playback at these resolutions allows dual stream 3D as well as simultaneous fill and key capture and playback even when operating at Ultra HD at 60 frames per second.

The new DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G is the ultimate digital cinema capture card featuring two full frame DCI 4K inputs and outputs! The multi rate 12G-SDI connections work with SD, HD and Ultra HD all the way up to full frame DCI 4K at 4096 x 2160 resolution at 60 frames per second. DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G supports 10-bit YUV and 8-bit, 10-bit and 12-bit RGB as well as 3D up to DCI 4K at 4096 x 2160 resolution at 60 frames per second.

The new DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G includes a new mezzanine card design that adds HDMI in and out on a second daughter card along with sockets for adding 2 optical fiber modules for Dual Link optical fiber SDI in and out. SMPTE compatible optical modules can be added up to 12G-SDI speeds, allowing customers to choose to connect equipment using optical fiber connections instead of regular BNC copper cables for dramatically longer cable length, even at the faster 12 Gb/s speeds.

DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G is perfect for customers working on feature film, commercial, visual FX, and television productions that require high resolution, deep color, stereoscopic 3D and high frame rate support.

DaVinci Resolve 11 customers will benefit from the simultaneous capture and playback support as this lets them capture direct from cameras on set, grade the live video with multiple nodes of correction and then to output the video to an on set monitor, all live and in real time! This makes lighting a film set easy and allows DOP’s, directors and colorists to work together to optimize the film’s look on set.

OEM developers will also like the multiple new features in these models as they greatly benefit customized system development. These new features include full frame genlock timing, closed caption in all bit rates, automatic input detection support, better CRC input checking, extremely low latency and direct GPU support, plus the ability to write pixels directly into the card’s frame buffers and the ability to write their own custom drivers.

DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G includes two 12G-SDI inputs and two 12G-SDI outputs, reference input and RS422 deck control ports for capture and playback of all SD, HD, Ultra HD and DCI 4K formats. The card also includes HDMI input and output, AES/EBU balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs/outputs, and analog video I/O via the included breakout cable.

“In developing the new DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G we set out to design a card that just had everything we needed for high end feature film work in DaVinci Resolve, and we said to the engineers, don’t worry about cost, just make it as awesome as you can!” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “This new DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G is the result and it’s got everything we could want! But at the same time it’s also compatible with analog equipment from decades ago, all in the single card! Plus it’s still an affordable US$1,495, which is exciting!”

Blackmagic Design today announced new Ultra HD compatible Mini Converters and Heavy Duty Mini Converter 4K models that feature 6G-SDI technology, allowing customers to use a single type of converter for all conversion needs in SD, HD and Ultra HD television formats. These new models replace the previous models for each conversion type and all standard models retail at US$295 while the heavy duty models retail for US$345.

New 4K Mini Converters are the perfect solution for broadcast and post production engineers who need to install equipment that’s Ultra HD ready, as each converter operates as a normal SD or HD converter and then will automatically switch to Ultra HD when a 6G-SDI input is connected. Live production customers will love the ability to use these new Mini Converters in all kinds of situations when doing Ultra HD live production work. Even connecting to old SD televisions from an Ultra HD program feed is possible, so customers don’t have to worry about what kind of equipment they might find at a venue they are integrating with.

Mini Converter Heavy Duty models feature an aluminum design that is super tough yet compact and lightweight, making them perfect for use on location. All models include the latest 6G-SDI technology, auto switching between SD, HD and Ultra HD formats, redundant SDI inputs, loop through SDI, balanced analog and AES/EBU switchable audio, standard 1/4” jack audio connections and an international power supply.

Unlike traditional converters that are suitable for indoor use, Blackmagic Design’s Mini Converter Heavy Duty is designed to meet the tough and demanding conditions of live production. Each converter is machined from a solid block of aluminum and is designed to keep working, even while being run over by a car or a truck!

New 4K Mini Converter Model Summary

Mini Converter SDI to Audio 4K de-embeds 4 channels of analog audio or 8 channels of AES/EBU digital audio from any SDI video connection. Access the audio in any SDI video connection for output to a massive range of audio equipment such as audio mixers, analog broadcast decks, audio monitors and more. Only US$295.

Mini Converter Audio to SDI 4K embeds 4 channels of analog audio or 8 channels of AES/EBU digital audio into any SDI video connection. Customers can embed professional audio from devices such as audio mixers and analog decks into SDI video connections for use with SDI routers and decks or to add extra audio channels to video converters. Only US$295.

Mini Converter H/Duty SDI to HDMI 4K converts from SDI to HDMI. Includes 6G-SDI inputs allowing for SD, HD and Ultra HD automatic switching, redundant SDI inputs, loop through 6G-SDI output, built in down converter and analog or AES/EBU audio outputs de-embedded from the SDI video input. This model will automatically detect an HD HDMI device and down convert when an Ultra HD input is connected. Only US$345.

Mini Converter H/Duty HDMI to SDI 4K converts form HDMI to SDI. Includes 6G-SDI outputs allowing for SD, HD and Ultra HD automatic switching, two 6G-SDI outputs, HD to SD down conversion, plus analog or AES/EBU audio inputs for embedding into SDI output when audio from HDMI input is not being used. This model features an override switch to allow it to tell an HDMI 4K device to output regular HD when HD-only operation is required. Only US$345.

Mini Converter H/Duty SDI to Analog 4K converts form SDI to component, S-Video or composite. Includes SD, HD and Ultra HD auto switching, redundant SDI input, down conversion, plus analog or AES/EBU audio outputs de-embedded from the SDI video input. This model will automatically down convert an Ultra HD SDI input when detected to regular HD on the component outputs or standard definition when S-Video or composite is output. Only US$345.

“With these new models, our whole range of Mini Converters now supports Ultra HD so customers are ready for the future with these new designs. Thousands of our customers rely on our converters for their mission critical production and broadcast work every day, and it’s exciting to provide model updates as new technologies become available,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “Our 4K Mini Converters feature the latest Ultra HD technology and the new Heavy Duty Mini Converters combine this technology with our most rugged and durable design ever, giving customers the 24/7 reliability they need in even the most extreme locations!”

Availability and Price

Mini Converter 4K models are available now from US$295 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide , and Mini Converter Heavy Duty models will be available in October 2014 for US$345.

Blackmagic Design today announced Videohub Software Update 6.0, a whole new software suite for the company’s popular Videohub range of SDI routers that provides new client control and setup applications for easier and simpler router operation. Blackmagic Videohub 6.0 is available now for download free of charge.

The new Blackmagic Videohub 6.0 update includes 2 new software applications for both Mac OS X and Windows computers. The Blackmagic Videohub Control features a new user interface that includes elegantly designed buttons that allow users to customize and control their Videohub routing from their desktop. Blackmagic Videohub Control is perfect when customers are working on editing, color correction or other computer based workstations and want to change routing in their facility.

Blackmagic Videohub is simple and easy to use and supports the latest technologies such as high resolution “Retina” displays that use paper resolution screen displays. Blackmagic Videohub Control can be installed on multiple computers in a post production facility or broadcaster so all users can quickly launch the software and change route cross points with the press of a button.

For configuring and installing Blackmagic Videohub routers, the administration software, Blackmagic Videohub Setup, has been designed to make it extremely fast to install and label router inputs and outputs and to change other settings on Videohub routers. It automatically finds all Videohub routers on the users network, or any routers connected locally via USB and then lets the administrator or broadcast engineer simply select the router and change its settings.

Blackmagic Videohub Setup also allows customers to save and load router configurations so they can backup the router in case they need to quickly load the router settings in the future, or even change router configurations between jobs, common on smaller routers in live production environments.